


Listen

by rocknrollout



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Castiel is a Good Bro, Dean Does Not Understand, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotionally Hurt Sam, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-14
Updated: 2016-05-14
Packaged: 2018-06-08 10:47:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6851602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rocknrollout/pseuds/rocknrollout
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Sam tells Dean about his relationship with Gabriel, Dean doesn’t take it too well. </p><p>For the prompt: "I never meant to come between you two."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Listen

The Winchester brothers were in your average half-a-star motel room, with it’s poor quality lighting, moth-ball smell and ominously damp carpet. They were recuperating after a salt and burn that could have gone better. Dean was on his bed, icing his bruised skull. The ghost had thrown him head-first into a banister; he was lucky that he didn't have a concussion. Sam sat at the table in the center of the room, mostly unhurt, nursing a beer and reading Game of Thrones.

They had a lot on their minds, and both wanted to see their respective angels. Sam already knew that Dean and Cas were a thing, or as close to a thing that you could get when you’re last name was Winchester. Honestly, Helen Keller would have noticed the love those two idiots felt for one another, and probably a year before they finally did.

Sam’s...affection for his angel was a bit more complicated. That wasn’t to say that Sam didn’t adore Gabriel with all of his heart, because he did. The archangel was the best thing to fly into Sam’s life in a long time. Ever since Gabe faked his death and started helping the Winchesters battle fate, their relationship had grown. It went from barely concealed contempt, to a sort of friendship and finally to the romantic feelings they currently shared. Gabriel wasn’t an official member of team free will, and might never be, but Sam was planning on keeping the tricky archangel on their side for however long he could.

Sadly, his feelings weren’t as wholeheartedly shared by Dean. You see, the problem wasn’t Gabriel current actions. No, Dean was more or less able to admit that having the power of an archangel on their side was a very good thing. The true problem was the past, whom Gabriel had been, and what he had done to them. Dean was always wary around Gabriel and tended to get pissy because Sam _wasn’t_. He didn’t see Gabriel like Sam did; he never would. Dean only saw the brash trickster who had tormented them.

Sam saw someone who had loved his family more than anything, but simply couldn’t take the pain of being around them anymore. Sam saw someone who fled his only home, knowing exactly what the consequences would be; someone who gave up everything, and forced himself to believe that he was happier without it in his life. He saw the impossible power that Gabriel held inside him, and he saw Gabriel crying during Flynn Rider’s death scene. He saw someone who went down a dark path and did some truly awful stuff. Someone who would never forgive himself for the pain he caused Sam in Broward County, even though he had been (terribly) trying to teach Sam an important lesson.

Sam cared about Gabriel, and it tore him apart to see how frequently and readily others judged the multi-faceted archangel when they hadn’t even scratched the surface of who Gabriel was and who he could become.

Maybe that’s why he’d asked Gabe to come by when Cas wasn’t around. So that he could tell Dean. So that he could stop lying, and finally feel like he could openly...love Gabriel, like Dean got to with Castiel.

 _Gabriel,_ Sam prayed, knowing that the archangel would never ignore him like the rest of his family.  _Tugwell, Ohio. Hearts and Hopes Motel, room five._

It didn't take long for Gabriel to take Sam's invitation. He popped into the motel room, reclining on Sam’s bed, with his arms holding the back of his head up. “Got your ass kicked by another feeble ghost Dean-o?”

Dean had sent him his preferred greeting: he flipped Gabriel off and said nothing.

When they made eye contact, Sam smiled, trying to ignore the question on Gabe’s face. He lightly tapped the side of his head, thankful that Dean’s eyes were closed, and hoped that Gabriel got the message.

 _I want to tell Dean,_ he thought, keeping eye contact with Gabriel. _About us._

Gabriel must have understood, because he scrunched his eyebrows together and raised one eyebrow, obviously confused. He mouthed ‘Why?’ since they couldn’t talk with Dean in the room and Sam couldn’t read his mind.

_Because he deserves to know._

Gabriel didn’t say anything, He leaned his head on his fist and gestured fluidly towards Dean with the other hand while wearing an expression of ‘Go for it,’ one eyebrow still cocked like he didn’t think Sam was really going to do it.

Sam inhaled quickly and let it out, saving his place in the book with a small dog ear. He placed it on the table loudly enough to catch Dean’s attention.

The older hunter opened his eyes and looked over at Sam. “Got something on your mind, Sammy?”

Sam opened his mouth to speak, but no words came to him. What the hell was he supposed to say? How do you tell your brother that you’re in a relationship with someone who killed him over 300 times?

“Yeah...” he said after a minute.

Dean looked over at Gabe, who shrugged. “My silence is your queue,” Dean said, sitting up slowly.

It took Sam another minute to work up the courage to speak. “Gabe-and-I-are-dating.” The words left his mouth a lot less smoothly than Sam had wanted, and a hell of alot faster than could be understood.

“Yeah, you’re gonna have to try again,” Dean said incredulously.  

Sam breathed slowly for a second, readying himself. “Gabriel and I...are...” Sam punctuated each word meticulously. “...dating.”

Dean dropped the ice he’d been holding to his still throbbing head. “What?”

“Gabe and—”

“Don’t. Say that again,” Dean growled.

Sam snapped his jaw shut and saw Gabriel stiffen, eyes trained on Dean's back, cold like the enraged archangel he could be.

Dean didn’t speak for a while, deciding that glaring holes into the floor was a better use of his time. After a moment, he looked back at Sam and said, “I get working with him; hell, I can even admit that he’s been helpful lately—”

“You do know that I’m still here, right?” Gabriel huffed when Dean paused.

“But did you forget what that—” Dean pointed at Gabriel sharply, “ _asshole_ has done to us? To you?! Dammit Sammy, have you completely lost your mind?!” His voice raised in volume and intensity with each word.  

“Dean,” Sam almost whimpered. He would never have imagined that Dean would be this angry. Sure, he wasn’t quiet about how he didn’t like Gabriel all that much but Sam had genuinely thought that he was getting better at being around the archangel. That maybe Dean and Gabe had formed some type of friendship between them.

“No, Sammy you need to get your head out of your ass and realize—”   

Suddenly, thunder boomed above them, shaking the motel room. The Winchesters knew exactly where that came from; it had been sunny two minutes ago. They turned their eyes towards Gabriel’s tight body and saw a fiery rage boiling underneath his skin, practically leaking out of his eyes as he ground his teeth together.

“Gabe...” Sam cautioned. “Calm down.”

Gabriel scoffed, standing up. His shoulders were held high, as he took deep, aggressive breaths. “Why should _I_ calm down when this idiot thinks he has any right to talk like that?”

Dean stood up too. Sam quickly followed, ready to intervene. “I’m just watching out for my little brother.”

“Did you ever think that maybe he doesn’t need you to watch out for him?” Gabriel snapped, getting as close to being in Dean’s face as he could with the five inches of height difference.

“Who else will?” Dean asked. “ _You?!_ Because I think our history proves that your judgment is crap!”

There was another loud crack of thunder, as it started to downpour outside.

“How have I not proven to you that my intentions are good yet?! I’ve done everything you’ve wanted from me!”

_“You killed me!”_

“To teach Sam a lesson and to stop the damn apocalypse!”

“Oh, yeah~! You did such a great job at that! You didn’t teach Sam a lesson; you tortured him! For months! How can I possibly believe that you’ll be different now!?”

“The great thing is that you don’t need to! Because _Sam_ knows that I would _never_ hurt him!”

“You already did!”

The large window overlooking the parking lot shattered, curtains billowing from the wind.

“Stop! Right now!” Sam barked, pushing them apart. Or, at least, he pushed Dean away; Gabriel was currently making himself into an immovable object. “You two are acting like children!”

“Shut up, Sam,” Dean and Gabriel said at the same time, but thankfully didn’t resume shouting at each other.

After a moment of tense silence, Dean had had enough. “I need some air,” he snapped, turning on his heels and grabbing his coat from the back of a chair. He left without another word, slamming the door behind him. It was muffled by the storm still raging outside.

Sam dropped his ass onto the bed, holding his head in his hands. That could not have gone worse.

Almost an hour after the...confrontation, Gabriel had calmed down enough that the storm outside had stopped. He’d even fixed the window, at Sam’s quiet request.

Dean still hadn’t come back.

“I never meant to come between you two,” Gabriel whispered from the corner of the room, where he was leaning awkwardly against the wall. The archangel was normally so snarky and in control. But there wasn’t any room for sarcasm and overconfidence right now.   

Sam didn’t react to the words, besides the small sigh that seemed to escape from behind his lips. He had honestly thought that this was a good idea, that even if Dean didn’t take it wonderfully, it would still be better than lying to him. Sam was so sick of always lying to his big brother; the man who had spent his life taking care of him. First it was the nightmares turned visions, then Ruby and the demon blood. He just wanted to be honest for once.

“Sam, I’m so sorry.”

“Wha— Why? This isn’t your fault, Gabe,” Sam insisted, glancing up to meet the archangel’s eyes. Yeah, he was pissed, but not at Gabriel.

“Sam, Dean wouldn’t be freaking out if you were dating someone else, someone without our history.”

“No, Gabriel. He’s been tense around me lately. Like he’s waiting for me to explode...or jump off the deep end. He would have yelled no matter who it was; I should have known he wouldn’t take my being in a relationship well."

Gabriel was suddenly standing in front of him, one hand resting on Sam’s shoulder while the other gently massaged the back of Sam’s scalp, fingers carding through long hair. “It’ll be okay, kiddo. We just need to give him some time to get that stick out of his ass.”

Sam hid a small smile against Gabriel’s stomach and wrapped his arms around the shorter man. He wanted to stay there forever, soaking up the comfort that came with being so close to the archangel’s grace. Gabriel continued to run his fingers through Sam’s hair, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to Sam’s head.  

After Dean slammed the door behind him, he stood there. He knew that he had to get out of that damn room, but he didn’t actually know where he wanted to go.

It was still pouring outside, which just poured more gas on Dean’s fire. Gabriel couldn’t even control himself; what if he got mad one day and hurt Sam? A part of Dean tried to tell himself that Gabriel wouldn’t do that, that he had more control than Dean was giving him credit for. Dean still didn’t trust the archangel turned trickster turned archangel again.

He ended up getting in the Impala and leaving the parking lot, driving for twenty minutes, until he couldn’t focus enough to drive. He pulled over on the side of an empty road, pulled the key out of the ignition and pressed his forehead into the steering wheel. What the hell was he supposed to do now? He couldn’t just avoid Sam forever.

God, what was Sam thinking? Gabriel may have been on their side but he was far from a good guy. What it is with Sam and bringing evil fuckers into his bed?

“Dean,” a soothing voice said from the passenger seat.

Dean jumped, turning to see Castiel sitting next to him. The angel was staring, with those piercing blue eyes boring into Dean. “You need to stop doing that,” Dean complained.

“Doing what? You called me.”

Dean raised his eyebrow. “Not that I’m complaining, because you know that I have no complaints about seeing you, but I didn’t call you.”

“You were praying for my help,” Cas explained, reaching forward to grab one of Dean’s hands and squeezing gently. “You seemed confused and lost.”

Dean returned the hand squeeze and sighed. “Sam and Gabriel are dating.”

“I know.”

“Wait, you _knew?!_ ” Dean sputtered, dropping Castiel’s hand. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Gabriel requested that I keep it to myself until Sam was ready to tell you,” Cas explained. “He felt that it was necessary for you to find out from your brother, and I agreed.

“Why did they even tell you?” Nothing he’s heard today has made the slightest amount of sense.

“They didn’t. I...caught them in the act, per-say. Gabriel was pinning Sam to—”

“Stop right there!” Dean ordered, pressing his hand over Cas’ mouth. “I do not need those details.”

Dean removed his hand slowly, and sighed in relief when Cas didn’t continue on the same train of thought.

“So, the fact that Gabriel and Sam are dating is what has you so upset?” Castiel asked.

“Of course I’m upset, it’s _Gabriel_ ,” Dean said. He knew that Cas trusted Gabriel more than he did, but how could he possibly think that Sam and Gabriel being...together was a good thing? Or even a decent thing. He slumped backwards, letting his head rest against the Impala’s seat.

“Dean,” Cas said quietly, barely above a whisper. “Gabriel has proven to us that he is here to help, and that he cares deeply about Sam. Why are you forcing yourself to be blind to that?”

“I’m not—Cas, Sam’s my little brother! And he doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to people he’s brought to bed. I need to protect him.”

“Dean, if I believed Gabriel to be dangerous, then I would tell you,” Castiel promised. “Do you think that I would willingly put Sam in danger?”

“No,” Dean sighed.

“Then I believe it is time for us to return to our brothers and, for you to apologize.”

By the time Dean and Cas got back to the motel, Gabriel had convinced Sam that stressing over this whole situation was stupid and a huge waste of time. He even managed to get Sam to lie down with him, after promising that they'd move if Dean came back. Even though he hated to agree to that, Gabriel did. They didn't get to do this often enough, just relaxing next to each other, appreciating the warmth of the other person in the bed. This moment didn't last for long, though. It wasn't twenty minutes before they could hear the low rumble of the Impala's engine pulling into the motel parking lot.

When the engine shut off, the air in the room got a hell of a lot colder. 

Gabriel sat up and move over to the small table, dropping into a chair with a bitter sigh. 

The door unlocked and swung open hesitantly. Dean and Castiel were standing on the other side, Cas's hand on Dean's shoulder. Sam wasn't sure if it was there to show support or to prevent Dean from running away. Well, at least Dean didn't look angry anymore.

He actually looked...remorseful.  

"Sam... Gabriel..." Dean said, his voice low and sorrowful, stepping inside of the room. Castiel closed the door behind them and casually stood between Dean and any form of escape. "We have a lot to talk about. And I'm ready to listen."

 

**Author's Note:**

> Come hang with me at rocknrollout.tumblr.com


End file.
